UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier will be defending the gold in a rematch against Anthony Johnson at UFC 210.
When the two collide once again in the Octagon, the champion plans on delivering another beating to his rival.
“He did well,” Cormier told MMA Junkie. “He defended some takedowns. He actually landed a lot of high kicks. He landed a lot of punches. People just remember that big punch that knocked me down, but Anthony had a lot of success in that fight. So we need to make sure that he doesn’t even have that amount of success. I don’t feel like I pressured him enough in that fight. I let him get far too comfortable. So, you’re going to see some differences in my approach to this one. This time, I’m actually going to beat him much worse than I did last time. If the first fight was a pretty good performance, this fight is going to be a great performance.”
Cormier defeated Johnson by third round submission with a rear naked choke in their first fight at UFC 187.
Even though Johnson has gone on a knockout streak since their first encounter, the champion doesn't fear his foe in any way.
“I am not afraid of that man in any way, shape or form,” Cormier said. “If I had to fight Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson at a barbecue or at a bar, I would fight him at a barbecue or at a bar. It doesn’t matter. I will always fight him. And that’s why I think you should just go after him. Some guys – Ryan Bader was scared of him; he shot him halfway across the octagon. You’ll never see me do that. I’m going to find the correct side if I’m going to get a takedown. I’m not scared of him, man. I think that’s part of it: Part of it is just not being afraid. So, no. To answer your question (whether there’s anything scary about Johnson), not at all. Not one bit. I know that if this guy fought Cain Velasquez, I don’t even know if he’d last a round. And I fight Cain Velasquez almost every day.”
UFC 210 takes place on Saturday, April 8 from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York with Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
